Spanish moss puller



June 15, 1943.

I. c. squDDER SPANISH MOSS FULLER Filed April 28, 1942 INVENTOR. ASA IAH C. SCUDDER ATTORNEY Patented June 15, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE SPANISH Moss PULLER Isaiah 0. scuaser, Bloomfield, N. J.

Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,759

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a Spanish moss puller.

Spanish moss is a parasite fibrous growth on trees, foliage, electric wires and other places in tropical or semi-tropical countries. If allowed to remain on the trees, particularly on delicate trees such as lemon or orange, it seriously impairs their usefulness and will in time smother or kill the trees. It is also imperative that it be removed from electric wires. When the wires are strung in groups, as is customary, and the moss is allowed to collect on the wires, in the event of a rain storm it becomes wet and acts as a conductor to form short circuits.

The Spanish moss, when properly treated and cured, is used in very substantial quantities as a filler or padding for high grade upholstery.

At the present time the Spanish moss is gathered or pulled down by long bamboo poles. The end of the bamboo pole is provided with a ferrule to prevent it from splitting and two nails are driven through the end of the pole at right angles to each other and at right angles to the axis of the pole. Another method is to secure a piece of barb wire to the end of the pole. With either of these methods it ofttimes takes much more time and effort to remove the moss from the end of the pole than it takes to pull the moss down.

The object of the present invention is to provide a moss puller in which the moss removes itself from the end of the pole thereby enabling those employed in gathering moss to greatly increase the amount gathered with considerably less effort and labor.

The invention will be fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof and in which one form of the invention is illustrated. In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with the intermediate part of the pole and connecting wire broken out;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, on a larger scale, of the puller proper with the hooked fingers in their extended or operative position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper part of the puller with the hooked fingers in the retracted position; and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on a smaller scale and taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Referring again to said drawing, the reference numeral 5 designates the pole and it may or may not have a handle 6. Attached in any convenient manner to the upper end of the pole is the puller member I.

The puller member comprises a casing I0 having a neck II which is secured to the pole and cross members I2 and I3 which may be mounted in or formed as part of the casing. The cross members I2 and I3 form a support for a longitudinally extending pin I4.

Slidably mounted on the pin I4 is a flanged runner I5 which has a plurality of hooked fingers l6 pivoted at H in its flange. The hooked fingers in the extended or operative positions of Figs. 1, 2 and 4 pass through openings I8 in the casing ID. A spring I9 confined between the runner I5 and cross member I3 normally urges the runner upwardly so as to hold the fingers I6 in their extended position.

A pull wire or cord 29 is attached to the runner, and passes through guides 2| on the pole and has its lower end attached to a sleeve 22 slidably mounted on the pole. Thus when it is desired to retract the hooked fingers I6 to the position of Fig. 3 a downward pull is exerted on the sleeve 22, the runner I5 is pulled down against the spring I9 and the fingers I6 are withdrawn entirely into the casing as shown in Fig. 3. Immediately upon the release of the sleeve 22 the spring I9 will force the fingers into their extended or operative position.

In using the device the pole with the fingers extended is elevated into a bunch or cluster of Spanish moss. It is given a complete or partial turn and the hooked fingers I6 gather a bunch of moss. The fingers are then retracted as heretofore explained and the moss slides down the pole. Thus the person gathering the moss does not have to bring down the pole each time and pull the moss off the nails or wire and it is thought to be evident considerable saving of time and effort will be effected.

Changes in details of construction and arrangements of parts such as would occur to one skilled in the art are to be considered as coming within the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A moss puller having in combination, a pole, a housing mounted on the upper end of said pole, a plurality of hooked fingers carried in said housing, means whereby said hooked fingers are normally held in their extended position, and means controllable at the lower end of the pole for retracting said hooked fingers into said housing.

2. A moss puller having in combination, a pole, a housing mounted on the upper end of said pole, a plurality of hooked fingers carried in and radiating from said housing, spring means for normally holding said hooked fingers in their extended position, and a connection from said fingers to the lower end of said pole; the operation of which will cause said hooked fingers to be retracted into said housing.

3. A moss puller having in combination, a pole, a housing mounted on the upper end of said pole, a plurality of hooked fingers carried in and radiating from said housing, a runner slidably mounted in said housing and to which said hooked fingers are pivoted, a spring for urging said runner upwardly to maintain said hooked fingers in their extended position, and a connection from said runner to the lower end of said pole whereby said runner may be pulled downwardly and cause said hooked fingers to be retracted into said casing.

4. A moss puller having in combination, a pole, a housing mounted on the upper end of said pole, a pin mounted in said housing, a runner slidably mounted on said pin, radially extending hooked fingers pivoted to said runner and extending through apertures in said casing, a spring surrounding said pin and urging said runner upwardly so as to maintain said hooked fingers in their extended position, and a connection between said runner and the lower end of the pole whereby said runner may be pulled downwardly and cause said hooked fingers to be retracted through their apertures into the casing.

ISAIAH C. SCUDDER. 

